Inset: Crash victim Laura Bachinski (The Minnesota Star Tribune/Inspired Journeys). Background: The minivan that Charlotte Breton allegedly let her 15-year-old daughter drive when she killed Laura Bachinski and injured her wife Renee DeLong in Minnesota (KSTP).
A Minnesota mom allegedly let her daughter get behind the wheel of a minivan without a permit or driving experience — just one day after she turned 15 — then watched from the passenger seat as she mowed down a married couple walking on a sidewalk, killing one of them.
Charlotte Breton, 36, of Cologne, is charged with aiding and abetting two gross negligence felonies, criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation in connection with the fatal Wright County crash.
County Attorney Brian Lutes told Law&Crime on Monday that “it is very rare” for passengers to be held responsible for a driver’s actions.
“The circumstances of this case are unique,” Lutes said. “The decisions that were made …Â support the serious charge.”
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A criminal complaint outlining the allegations against Breton and her teen daughter, which was obtained by Law&Crime, says the mom admitted during police interviews that “the crash was her fault as she told her daughter to drive” her Chrysler Town and Country minivan that Sunday, May 3.
“The defendant said this is the first time her daughter had driven a vehicle,” according to the complaint. “The defendant said her daughter did not have a driver’s permit. The defendant said her daughter had taken the classroom component of behind the wheel training but had not tested for her permit.”
Breton was riding shotgun when her daughter, who had just turned 15 on May 2, took a turn “too wide” at an intersection and “tried to turn the wheel” to avoid hitting another vehicle approaching a stop sign. Elm Street, where they were, is not controlled by stop signs, while the street the other car was on is.
“The defendant said her daughter tried to turn the wheel to avoid another vehicle in the intersection but continued into the sidewalk … striking both victims,” the complaint says. “She told [her daughter] she could not stop in the intersection. The defendant said she thinks [her daughter] accelerated too hard causing her to lose control. The defendant said she told [her daughter] to brake when the vehicle was on the curb but believed her daughter froze.”
Renee DeLong, 56, and her wife Laura Bachinski, 55, were “walking on the sidewalk” when they looked up and saw the minivan allegedly coming straight for them. Bachinski was struck and killed, while DeLong suffered “significant injuries” and was hospitalized, the complaint says.
“[DeLong] said the driver did not appear to brake or turn,” according to police. “[DeLong] said she may have heard the engine rev.”
According to DeLong, Bachinski was “under the van” when it came to a stop. She told police that she “tried to get over to her wife but couldn’t because of feeling extreme pain in her legs.” DeLong said she never heard her wife “cry out or make any sounds,” per the complaint.
Police arrived at the scene after receiving calls from witnesses.
“Dispatch reported the vehicle was on top of the shoulder and chest of [Bachinski],” the complaint says. “Deputies, Rockford Fire Department members, and bystanders collectively worked to free [Bachinski] from under the vehicle with the use of a jack. Emergency medical care was rendered to [Bachinski] immediately once she was out from underneath the vehicle.”
Bachinski was not breathing and had no pulse after being pulled from underneath the minivan. Despite resuscitation efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Breton told police “it was possible” her daughter hit the accelerator instead of the brake when she was on the sidewalk and struck Bachinski and DeLong. Breton’s daughter also admitted the same thing.
“[The daughter] said her mom was telling her to brake,” according to the complaint. “[The daughter] said things were ‘blurry’ but said she tried to brake but instead of braking may have pushed the wrong pedal.”
Lutes could not confirm whether Breton’s daughter has also been charged for the crash, on account of her age. Breton allegedly told police that she had her daughter drive about 5 miles before entering Rockford, where the crash happened.
“The defendant said her daughter was following GPS instructions on the defendant’s phone that was in the cup holder,” the complaint says. “The defendant was allowing … her 15 year old daughter to operate a vehicle without driving experience, without a permit, without a driver’s license, and having only completed driver’s education.”
The post Mom who rode shotgun while teen daughter killed a person on sidewalk with her minivan told the 15-year-old to drive without any experience or permit: DA first appeared on Law & Crime.
